Unfaithful
by AeroCat
Summary: Simba and Nala have a son, Kopa. The question is...is the father really who everyone thinks it is?
1. Chapter 1

This is a little prequel to _The Lion King II_, showing what happened to Simba's son Kopa (From _The Lion King- Six New Adventures_). This will also lead up to my future story, _The Lion King IV_

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**Unfaithful**

**Chapter One**

Nala sighed, as she looked out from the cave, not able to sleep. She watched as Simba looked out toward the night sky and his newly acquired kingdom, taking it all in. It was only the night before when Simba had regained the throne of the Pride Lands, taking his place as king, and Nala as his queen.

Nala, having fallen in love with her best friend, had happily agreed to take the role as both ruler and mate. The months apart had been too long, and she was eager for an excuse to make up for lost time.

Still…Nala wondered if they had acted too quickly. After all…Simba was back home for the first time since cub-hood. It would take a while to relearn his lessons of ruling the kingdom, after pushing them out of his head. Some of the animals were already wondering if he could handle it. They even wondered if banishing Scar's followers to the Outlands was really a good idea. It may just cause more trouble…

This wasn't the only thing on Nala's mind that night. She also wondered how long she could hold the secret to Simba, before he found out…

"Are you still awake?" a voice asked. Nala looked up to see Simba smiling at her.

"Yeah…" Nala replied, returning a small grin. "Just…nervous. That's all."

"Oh, don't worry," her mate, told her, lying down by her side. "It's going to be hard to adjust, I know. But we'll get through it…_together._"

Simba nuzzled against Nala and laid his paw on her belly. For some strange reason, the gesture felt uncomforting to the young lioness, and she flinched.

"Are you all right?" Simba asked, alarmed.

"Yes, I'm just a little sore," Nala assured him. "I think a hyena got me good."

"Are you sure you don't need to see Rafiki?" her mate asked, still not convinced.

"I'm fine," Nala told him, licking his cheek before getting up. "I'm going for a little walk, and maybe the pain will go away."

"All right…" Simba said, reluctantly. "Just be careful."

Nala smiled at him, and exited the cave. She walked for a short distance to the bottom of Pride Rock, making sure Simba couldn't see her. She then sat down, and felt her belly with her paw. She was convinced she could feel something moving inside, and was sure it wasn't her dinner.

_Great Mohatu…_Nala thought, beginning to sob. _I think I'm pregnant!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning, Nala found herself lying on her back on the cave floor, as Rafiki applied a sticky green cream to her belly. Simba's nerves finally made his mate agree to let the old mandrill check her out. Judging by occasional cramps, and routine morning sickness, Nala already guessed she was indeed carrying a cub, but decided to use Rafiki's word for her mate's sake.

"You can come in now, Simba!" the shaman called to the king, who was pacing outside of the cave. He ran in at once, and rushed to Nala's side.

"Is there anything wrong with her?" Simba asked anxiously.

Rafiki chuckled, and replied, "Look for yourself." He pointed to the cream, which now had a dark shape swimming around in it.

"What is that?" Simba asked, looking more nervous by the mysterious shape.

Rafiki simply smiled, and told him, "That, in a way, is your new son."

"My…my _son?_" Simba gasped looking at Nala. The lioness, afraid of saying something she shouldn't, merely nodded.

Simba stared at her, and then looked at the dark blob. He then let out a happy roar, and knelt down to nuzzle his mate.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "We're having a cub! Isn't this amazing?"

"Yeah…amazing," Nala sighed, not sounding as joyful as her mate. "Listen…I want to rest for a little bit…"

"That's all right!" Simba told her, grinning from ear to ear. "I have to go and tell everyone the good news!"

He ran out of the cave, skipping as he went. Rafiki followed, but looked at Nala before he left.

"It's going to be all right, Your Highness," he assured her. "No flaky little lions to worry about." He gave the stunned lioness a wink, and left the cave.

Instead of sleeping, Nala sat awake, wondering how the old monkey always knew things others didn't. "Flaky little lions…" Her mind was going backwards, to a time maybe just a week before…

_Nala finally stopped running to take a break. For the first time since her journey began, she looked behind her. Far away from her were the Shadowlands, a land of deception, evil, and lost hope._

_**I'm going to find help…whatever it takes, **__the young lioness thought. __**There has to be someone out there who can help us…someone who will end Scar's evil rule.**_

_**Who**__ could help her, was the question. Nala had left the Pride Lands in lost hope that somehow, somewhere, Simba could still be alive. It was a thought she had since the day of his death, and was the only thing that kept her going._

_She looked around the tall yellow grass she stood in, looking for any signs of life. At that moment, she saw something move in the grass. She crouched low to the ground, getting ready to pounce, when…_

"_You're still a flaky little thing, aren't you?"_

_Nala screamed and jumped, landing flat on the ground. She looked up and saw…a lion. It wasn't Simba, though. This one was slightly older than her. He had light brown fur, a fully-grown brown mane, and dark gray eyes._

"_**Ni?**__" Nala asked, remembering the scruffy young lion she had met as a cub. Except…_

"_A little less flaky than you remember, huh?" the stranger asked. "And as for you…I see you've grown."_

"_Yeah…you did too…" Nala said, still in disbelief. "Well…you look a lot…cleaner."_

_Ni laughed. "Yeah, you finally knocked some sense into me to bathe. So, would you like to come back to my place?"_

Of course, not having anywhere to stay the night, Nala accepted the offer, and came to stay with Ni. She couldn't remember much from that night, except for a burdening truth-she had fallen in love with the lion.

She had left the next morning, to find food, leaving Ni the promise that she would return. Nala could recall chasing down a warthog, running into yet another lion in the process. This time, it _was_ Simba…and her vow to Ni was broken.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As weeks past, the cub in Nala's womb got bigger, and so did it's mother's lie to Simba. She had yet to tell her mate about the night she had with Ni, fearing she would lose his trust, and possibly be abandoned by the pride, left to care for the cub on her own. Instead, she kept feeding Simba lies, pretending that this was really his cub she was carrying, and how happy she was that he was the father.

One morning, while Simba was walking the kingdom, and no one was around to guard his mate, Nala decided to pay a visit to her mother-in-law Sarabi. Even with the return of her son, the aging lioness chose to stay away from the pride, and to live in a small, quiet cave at the foot of Pride Rock.

"Sarabi?" Nala called into the cave as she entered. "Is it all right if we talked?"

"Nala?" a voice croaked from the darkness. "Come in, dear. You know you're always welcome to visit."

Nala walked into the cave, and lay down beside Sarabi. The effects of Scar's reign had taken a toll on the lioness' body, making her look weak and old compared to Nala.

"Now…what would you like to discuss with me?" Sarabi asked.

"Well…" Nala said slowly, not sure how to break the news that she had lied to her companion's son. "I think I've made…a mistake."

"Really?"

"Yes…and I think Simba deserves a better queen than me."

"A better queen?" Sarabi repeated, and gave a small laugh. "Now, don't be ridiculous, Nala! You're young, beautiful…you and my son were made for each other. What seems to be the problem?"

"I…think I've been unfaithful to my mate." Nala admitted.

"Oh…I see…" Sarabi said, but not sounding very disappointed.

"Sarabi, what am I going to do?" Nala whimpered. "I love Simba, but…I can't go on living like this! He has to know the truth!"

"Then tell him," Sarabi simply said.

"It's not that easy…" Nala sighed. "I don't think he would understand…"

Both lionesses were silent for a moment. Then, Sarabi asked, "Do you remember your brother, Mheetu?"

"How could I forget?" Nala said quietly, looking down at her paws. Mheetu was her baby brother, born just days after Mufasa's death. Her mother, Sarafina, had killed by Scar trying to protect him. It was no use, though…Mheetu, too frail and tiny, died just days after his mother. "What does he have to do with this?"

"A lot more than you think," Sarabi told her. "Do you know who his father was?"

"No," Nala replied. "Although I guessed it wasn't _my_ father."

"No, your mother mated a different lion," Sarabi said. "Another lion in the pride."

Nala looked at her. "Who?"

Sarabi smiled, and replied, "Mufasa."

"What?" her companion gasped. "But…he was your mate…"

"And also your mother's," Sarabi pointed out. "Don't you see, Nala? You shouldn't be ashamed by being unfaithful; almost everyone in this pride has had a relationship with more than one lion. It's practically it's own part of the Circle of Life."

Nala sighed, and got up. "I guess I should just hope for the best, huh?" she asked.

"Don't worry, my dear." Sarabi assured her. "Simba has become a mature, understanding adult. You'll be fine." She gave Nala a smile, and the young lioness returned it.

As Nala left the cave, Sarabi called to her. "Oh…and if my son _does_ give you any trouble, then just ask him who is the father of his friend Tojo. _Then _he will understand!"

While walking back to Pride Rock, Nala heard strange, loud noises. It sounded like growling, possibly coming from a lion.

Suddenly, something flew over her head, and Nala had to duck so she wouldn't get hit. She looked down, and saw a hurt animal, tumbling down the rocks. She was about to go help the creature, but…

"Nala!" Simba ran and jumped in front of her. "Where have you been?" he growled, looking angry.

"I was talking to your mother," Nala replied, deciding that she didn't have to lie.

"You can't risk going out in your condition! Especially with _him_ hanging around here!" Simba jerked his head towards the creature, which was limping away from the rocks.

"Why did you have to hurt him?" Nala snapped. "Who is he, anyway?"

Simba sighed, and replied, "Some lion, who says he knows you. Personally, I think he's trying to take over the kingdom."

"He probably just needs a place to spend the night!" Nala protested.

"Maybe…but not while _I'm_ king." Simba turned to head towards the cave, but turned back to his mate. "Come. You and the cub need your rest."

Nala sighed, and obeyed. She followed the king into their home, but not before giving one last glace to the outsider. Simba may have thought he was a stranger, but Nala knew he was really a friend…maybe more.

**In case you didn't know, Mheetu was a character taken out of the original movie. Tojo is one of Simba's friends in a German comic book (very popular in TLK fan works!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After Simba had kicked out the stranger, no visitors came to Pride Rock. The pride believed the rogue lion had gotten the message about the king, and knew better than to return. Nala wasn't as convinced, though. After all, the stranger had been looking for her, and may not have wanted to leave until he saw her at least once. Even if this strange lion was Ni…

Normally, Nala would have investigated this, but even since the incident, Simba hadn't been too keen on leaving his mate, knowing the rogue was still at large. Whenever he had to leave, Simba left Kula and Chumvi, friends he and Nala had known as cubs, in charge of protecting the queen. Any other "king business" was left to his best friend Tojo, although he was more interested in visiting the kingdom's bird population.

Another reason that kept Nala at home was the fact that she was now far into her pregnancy. It had almost become routine for her to feel sick, sending Simba into panic, thinking the cub was coming early. It drove her nuts…but at least it was better than no help from Simba at all. To add to this, Nala found it best not to share her news with her mate, at least not until the cub was born.

Then, in the spring, peace came to the young couple at last. One morning, Simba found himself pacing around the cave, waiting impatiently for his cub to be born. He saw his mother come out of the cave, and ran to her immediately.

"So? Is it here?" Simba asked breathlessly.

Sarabi merely smiled, and said, "Come in and look yourself."

Simba took his mother's word, and quickly went inside. He stopped when he saw his mate in the corner of the cave, nuzzling the small creature in her paws.

"Is that…my…" Simba stuttered, finding a lost for words.

Nala looked up and smiled warmly. She knew she had to tell him the truth, but she couldn't say no. Not when her mate was so happy…

"This is your son," she told him, giving the tiny cub a lick. Seeing how excited Simba was, she signaled him to lie down beside her. With gentle care, she put the newborn cub in the lion's paws.

Simba could do nothing but gape at his "son." The little lion had his mother's green eyes, and brownish-gold fur, very similar to the giant who held him (a fact that Nala would later feel grateful for).

"What's his name?" Simba whispered to his mate, afraid to scare the cub.

Nala thought about this for a moment, realizing she hadn't named her son just yet. She was about to allow Simba to name the cub himself, but her mind went back to that one night…when she had finally learned her _real_ mate's name…

"Kopa."

"Kopa?" Simba repeated. For a moment, Nala was afraid Simba would ask where the name came from, leading her to create yet another lie. Instead, he gave her a smile.

"Kopa…Prince Kopa…" Simba said thoughtfully. "I like it."

* * *

That afternoon, Nala stood at the foot of Pride Rock, beside Simba. In front of them, their friends, Timon and Pumbaa, waved to the large crowd that lay below them.

Simba and Nala looked at each other, and nuzzled each other. Like the kings and queens before them, they had brought the animals something to cheer about-life. More importantly, this was the life of a wise, noble leader, who would be encouraged to follow the paw-prints of his ancestors, and lead a respectful rule over his kingdom.

Then Rafiki came out behind them, with Kopa in his arms. He looked at both Simba and Nala, and then stepped forward to the edge of the long cliff. He then held the cub up high in the air, for all the animals to see. The animals all cheered when they saw their future king for the first time. Then, a shaft of light made its way through the clouds, and shined on Kopa's forehead, giving a signal to the animals to bow.

As Rafiki brought Kopa back into his arms, Simba kept looking into the clouds, puzzled. It had been a long time ago, as he was a newborn cub…but he could have sworn he saw the ghosts of his ancestors during his own ceremony. And hadn't he heard his father's voice, as he took his place as king? And hadn't he seen his father's image during his and Nala's union?

As Simba sat in his thoughts, Nala stood with Kopa in her mouth, while Rafiki got something sticky out of a gourd. He picked up the little prince, and smeared the red substance over the cub's forehead.

It was almost lucky Simba had his back turn; Rafiki and Nala were both staring at one spot on Kopa's head, now covered in goop. They could see a small tuft of brown fur, growing from his head.

Rafiki and Nala looked at each other, each unable to speak. They both knew it would be hard to keep the secret soon. Mane tufts weren't very common in the royal bloodline…


End file.
